SugarCRM delivers seamless experience for CBRE

With a 100 year heritage, CBRE is the largest commercial real estate services firm in the world. The business employs more than 75,000 employees in over 450 offices worldwide and has partners in more than 100 countries.

Challenge

During a web design project within the Czech arm of CBRE, it quickly became apparent a system was required to manage the sheer amount of content found within the business’ database of properties. Above all, CBRE needed a system which simplified the experience of the end-user.

Solution

Symbio, the business responsible for building the CBREproperties.cz website, recommended Sugar as the perfect solution to power the content management system. By implementing Sugar Professional, the system not only simplifies content management, but also helps the business make personal connections with every customer. The system was also integrated with leady.cz, a website tracking tool to support the business’ marketing objectives.

Results

Removal of siloes that had previously stunted the sales and marketing teams

Now able to track income attained through the website which wasn't possible previously

Increased data to ensure smarter reporting across the business

SugarCRM offers a seamless platform across the Czech arm

CBRE was constrained by the sheer amount of data hosted on its website. Despite the high volume of activity, the legacy system in place wasn’t aligned with the needs of the modern professional who would expect property information at the click of a button. It also didn’t enable the type of in-depth data analysis required to add true value to the business. In addition, SugarCRM needed to support CBRE in increasing the quality of its data, ensuring that duplications introduced to its previous system were removed.

Petra Lávičková, CMO at CBRE Czech Republic, says, “Before I joined CBRE there wasn’t a CRM system in place, which contrasted hugely from my experience in previous roles. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest when the team responsible for building our new website recommended that it integrated with a CRM system to ensure the vast amounts of data we gather can be analysed in real-time. It was a complex project that needed to be managed well to ensure that the highest quality system was put in place. The combination of SugarCRM and its local partner, SugarFactory, meant I needn’t have worried – there was always an expert available to support us along the journey and we couldn’t be more pleased.

“The project and the system we now have in place have been a complete success. Previously, the sales and marketing team simply didn’t have access to the type of insight that can increase conversion rates. Unsurprisingly, the completion of this project has completely transformed the way we work, simplifying processes that were previously almost impossible to manage. For example, we need to contact clients every three to five years to check on their status – tracking this across our vast database of contacts was very cumbersome. Now, the technology makes it clear exactly when we should be in touch and frees up the sales team to continue increasing revenue streams.”

The SugarCRM solution now in place is a seamless platform which supports a much wider cross-section of the Czech arm of the business than originally expected. The marketing and sales teams using the system have seen an increase in lead generation as a direct result of the project, invoicing is being structured within Sugar once invoices are won and business forecasts can also be generated using the system.

Lukáš Vavřín, CRM Manager at CBRE Czech Republic, adds, “We currently have 80 employees across the sales and marketing teams using Sugar but it’s had a much wider impact, being beneficial to the entire business. For example, reporting now includes a constant stream of data that had previously not been available which others may take for granted – such as the amount of income taken online. The marketing and sales teams can also see exactly which of their campaigns are most successful so they can tailor their approaches moving forward with this insight in mind. It’s absolutely priceless. So much so, CBRE is considering extending the adoption of Sugar to more of its business regions.”

"We currently have 80 employees across the sales and marketing teams using Sugar but it’s had a much wider impact, being beneficial to the entire business."

Lukáš Vavřín
CRM Manager at CBRE Czech Republic

"The combination of SugarCRM and its local partner, SugarFactory, meant I needn’t have worried – there was always an expert available to support us along the journey and we couldn’t be more pleased."

Petra Lávičková
CMO at CBRE Czech Republic

About CBRE

Founded 1906 in San Fransisco, USA, CBRE Group, Inc. is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm. CBRE offers a broad range of integrated services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. You can learn more at www.cbre.com.